Processing system and method for chemically treating a substrate

ABSTRACT

A processing system and method for chemically treating a substrate, wherein the processing system comprises a temperature controlled chemical treatment chamber, and an independently temperature controlled substrate holder for supporting a substrate for chemical treatment. The substrate holder is thermally insulated from the chemical treatment chamber. The substrate is exposed to a gaseous chemistry, without plasma, under controlled conditions including wall temperature, surface temperature and gas pressure. The chemical treatment of the substrate chemically alters exposed surfaces on the substrate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/454,642, which was filed on Mar. 17, 2003, thecontent of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety.

This application is related to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser.No. 10/705,201 entitled “Processing System and Method for Treating aSubstrate”, filed on Nov. 12, 2003; co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/704,969, entitled “Processing System and Method forThermally Treating a Substrate”, filed on Nov. 12, 2003; and co-pendingU.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/705,397, entitled “Method andApparatus for Thermally Insulating Adjacent Temperature ControlledChambers”, filed on Nov. 12, 2003. The entire contents of all of thoseapplications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method for treating asubstrate, and more particularly to a system and method for chemicaltreatment of a substrate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

During semiconductor processing, a (dry) plasma etch process can beutilized to remove or etch material along fine lines or within vias orcontacts patterned on a silicon substrate. The plasma etch processgenerally involves positioning a semiconductor substrate with anoverlying patterned, protective layer, for example a photoresist layer,in a processing chamber. Once the substrate is positioned within thechamber, an ionizable, dissociative gas mixture is introduced within thechamber at a pre-specified flow rate, while a vacuum pump is throttledto achieve an ambient process pressure. Thereafter, a plasma is formedwhen a fraction of the gas species present are ionized by electronsheated via the transfer of radio frequency (RF) power either inductivelyor capacitively, or microwave power using, for example, electroncyclotron resonance (ECR). Moreover, the heated electrons serve todissociate some species of the ambient gas species and create reactantspecie(s) suitable for the exposed surface etch chemistry. Once theplasma is formed, selected surfaces of the substrate are etched by theplasma. The process is adjusted to achieve appropriate conditions,including an appropriate concentration of desirable reactant and ionpopulations to etch various features (e.g., trenches, vias, contacts,gates, etc.) in the selected regions of the substrate. Such substratematerials where etching is required include silicon dioxide (SiO₂),low-k dielectric materials, poly-silicon, and silicon nitride. Duringmaterial processing, etching such features generally comprises thetransfer of a pattern formed within a mask layer to the underlying filmwithin which the respective features are formed. The mask can, forexample, comprise a light-sensitive material such as (negative orpositive) photo-resist, multiple layers including such layers asphoto-resist and an anti-reflective coating (ARC), or a hard mask formedfrom the transfer of a pattern in a first layer, such as photo-resist,to the underlying hard mask layer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method for chemicallytreating a substrate.

In one aspect of the invention, a processing system is described forchemically treating a substrate. The processing system comprises achemical treatment system, wherein the chemical treatment systemcomprises a temperature controlled chemical treatment chamber, atemperature controlled substrate holder configured to be substantiallythermally isolated from the chemical treatment chamber, a vacuum pumpingsystem coupled to the chemical treatment chamber, and a temperaturecontrolled gas distribution system for introducing one or more processgases into the chemical treatment chamber, wherein the process gas isnot utilized to form plasma.

Additionally, a method of operating the processing system to treat asubstrate is described. The method comprises: transferring the substrateinto the chemical treatment; setting one or more chemical processingparameters for the chemical treatment system, wherein the one or morechemical processing parameters comprise at least one of a chemicaltreatment processing pressure, a chemical treatment chamber temperature,a chemical treatment substrate temperature, a chemical treatmentsubstrate holder temperature, and a chemical treatment gas flow rate;and processing the substrate in the chemical treatment system using theone or more chemical processing parameters. Alternately or additionally,the one or more chemical treatment processing parameters can comprise agas distribution system temperature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1A illustrates a schematic representation of a transfer system fora chemical treatment system and a thermal treatment system according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1B illustrates a schematic representation of a transfer system fora chemical treatment system and a thermal treatment system according toanother embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 1C illustrates a schematic representation of a transfer system fora chemical treatment system and a thermal treatment system according toyet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a processing systemaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a chemical treatmentsystem according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a chemical treatment system accordingto another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a thermal treatmentsystem according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a thermal treatment system accordingto another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrateholder according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a gasdistribution system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9A illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a gasdistribution system according to another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9B presents an expanded view of the gas distribution system shownin FIG. 9A according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 10A and 10B present perspective views of the gas distributionsystem shown in FIG. 9A according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 shows a substrate lifter assembly according to an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 12 shows a side view of a thermal insulation assembly according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 shows a top view of a thermal insulation assembly according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 shows a cross-sectional side view of a thermal insulationassembly according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 15 shows a flow diagram for processing a substrate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL EMBODIMENTS

In material processing methodologies, pattern etching comprises theapplication of a thin layer of light-sensitive material, such asphotoresist, to an upper surface of a substrate, that is subsequentlypatterned in order to provide a mask for transferring this pattern tothe underlying thin film during etching. The patterning of thelight-sensitive material generally involves exposure by a radiationsource through a reticle (and associated optics) of the light-sensitivematerial using, for example, a micro-lithography system, followed by theremoval of the irradiated regions of the light-sensitive material (as inthe case of positive photoresist), or non-irradiated regions (as in thecase of negative resist) using a developing solvent.

Additionally, multi-layer and hard masks can be implemented for etchingfeatures in a thin film. For example, when etching features in a thinfilm using a hard mask, the mask pattern in the light-sensitive layer istransferred to the hard mask layer using a separate etch step precedingthe main etch step for the thin film. The hard mask can, for example, beselected from several materials for silicon processing including silicondioxide (SiO₂), silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), and carbon, for example.

In order to reduce the feature size formed in the thin film, the hardmask can be trimmed laterally using, for example, a two-step processinvolving a chemical treatment of the exposed surfaces of the hard masklayer in order to alter the surface chemistry of the hard mask layer,and a post treatment of the exposed surfaces of the hard mask layer inorder to desorb the altered surface chemistry.

According to one embodiment, FIG. 1A presents a processing system 1 forprocessing a substrate using, for example, mask layer trimming. Theprocessing system 1 comprises a first treatment system 10, and a secondtreatment system 20 coupled to the first treatment system 10. Forexample, the first treatment system 10 can comprise a chemical treatmentsystem, and the second treatment system 20 can comprise a thermaltreatment system. Alternately, the second treatment system 20 cancomprise a substrate rinsing system, such as a water rinsing system.Also, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, a transfer system 30 can be coupled tothe first treatment system 10 in order to transfer substrates into andout of the first treatment system 10 and the second treatment system 20,and exchange substrates with a multi-element manufacturing system 40.The first and second treatment systems 10, 20, and the transfer system30 can, for example, comprise a processing element within themulti-element manufacturing system 40. For example, the multi-elementmanufacturing system 40 can permit the transfer of substrates to andfrom processing elements including such devices as etch systems,deposition systems, coating systems, patterning systems, metrologysystems, etc. In order to isolate the processes occurring in the firstand second systems, an isolation assembly 50 can be utilized to coupleeach system. For instance, the isolation assembly 50 can comprise atleast one of a thermal insulation assembly to provide thermal isolation,and a gate valve assembly to provide vacuum isolation. Of course,treatment systems 10 and 20, and transfer system 30 can be placed in anysequence.

Alternately, in another embodiment, FIG. 1B presents a processing system100 for processing a substrate using a process such as mask layertrimming. The processing system 100 comprises a first treatment system110, and a second treatment system 120. For example, the first treatmentsystem 110 can comprise a chemical treatment system, and the secondtreatment system 120 can comprise a thermal treatment system.Alternately, the second treatment system 120 can comprise a substraterinsing system, such as a water rinsing system. Also, as illustrated inFIG. 1B, a transfer system 130 can be coupled to the first treatmentsystem 110 in order to transfer substrates into and out of the firsttreatment system 110, and can be coupled to the second treatment system120 in order to transfer substrates into and out of the second treatmentsystem 120. Additionally, transfer system 130 can exchange substrateswith one or more substrate cassettes (not shown). Although only twoprocess systems are illustrated in FIG. 1B, other process systems canaccess transfer system 130 including such devices as etch systems,deposition systems, coating systems, patterning systems, metrologysystems, etc. In order to isolate the processes occurring in the firstand second systems, an isolation assembly 150 can be utilized to coupleeach system. For instance, the isolation assembly 150 can comprise atleast one of a thermal insulation assembly to provide thermal isolation,and a gate valve assembly to provide vacuum isolation. Additionally, forexample, the transfer system 130 can serve as part of the isolationassembly 150.

Alternately, in another embodiment, FIG. 1C presents a processing system600 for processing a substrate using a process such as mask layertrimming. The processing system 600 comprises a first treatment system610, and a second treatment system 620, wherein the first treatmentsystem 610 is stacked atop the second treatment system 620 in a verticaldirection as shown. For example, the first treatment system 610 cancomprise a chemical treatment system, and the second treatment system620 can comprise a thermal treatment system. Alternately, the secondtreatment system 620 can comprise a substrate rinsing system, such as awater rinsing system. Also, as illustrated in FIG. 1C, a transfer system630 can be coupled to the first treatment system 610 in order totransfer substrates into and out of the first treatment system 610, andcan be coupled to the second treatment system 620 in order to transfersubstrates into and out of the second treatment system 620.Additionally, transfer system 630 can exchange substrates with one ormore substrate cassettes (not shown). Although only two process systemsare illustrated in FIG. 1C, other process systems can access transfersystem 630 including such devices as etch systems, deposition systems,coating systems, patterning systems, metrology systems, etc. In order toisolate the processes occurring in the first and second systems, anisolation assembly 650 can be utilized to couple each system. Forinstance, the isolation assembly 650 can comprise at least one of athermal insulation assembly to provide thermal isolation, and a gatevalve assembly to provide vacuum isolation. Additionally, for example,the transfer system 630 can serve as part of the isolation assembly 650.

In general, at least one of the first treatment system 10 and the secondtreatment system 20 of the processing system 1 depicted in FIG. 1Acomprises at least two transfer openings to permit the passage of thesubstrate therethrough. For example, as depicted in FIG. 1A, the firsttreatment system 10 comprises two transfer openings, the first transferopening permits the passage of the substrate between the first treatmentsystem 10 and the transfer system 30 and the second transfer openingpermits the passage of the substrate between the first treatment systemand the second treatment system. However, regarding the processingsystem 100 depicted in FIG. 1B and the processing system 600 depicted inFIG. 1C, each treatment system 110, 120 and 610, 620, respectively,comprises at least one transfer opening to permit the passage of thesubstrate therethrough.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a processing system 200 for performing chemicaltreatment and thermal treatment of a substrate is presented. Processingsystem 200 comprises a chemical treatment system 210, and a thermaltreatment system 220 coupled to the chemical treatment system 210. Thechemical treatment system 210 comprises a chemical treatment chamber211, which can be temperature-controlled. The thermal treatment system220 comprises a thermal treatment chamber 221, which can betemperature-controlled. The chemical treatment chamber 211 and thethermal treatment chamber 221 can be thermally insulated from oneanother using a thermal insulation assembly 230, and vacuum isolatedfrom one another using a gate valve assembly 296, to be described ingreater detail below.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the chemical treatment system 210further comprises a temperature controlled substrate holder 240configured to be substantially thermally isolated from the chemicaltreatment chamber 211 and configured to support a substrate 242, avacuum pumping system 250 coupled to the chemical treatment chamber 211to evacuate the chemical treatment chamber 211, and a gas distributionsystem 260 for introducing a process gas into a process space 262 withinthe chemical treatment chamber 211.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, the thermal treatment system 220further comprises a temperature controlled substrate holder 270 mountedwithin the thermal treatment chamber 221 and configured to besubstantially thermally insulated from the thermal treatment chamber 221and configured to support a substrate 242′, a vacuum pumping system 280to evacuate the thermal treatment chamber 221, and a substrate lifterassembly 290 coupled to the thermal treatment chamber 221. Lifterassembly 290 can vertically translate the substrate 242″ between aholding plane (solid lines) and the substrate holder 270 (dashed lines),or a transfer plane located therebetween. The thermal treatment chamber221 can further comprise an upper assembly 284.

Additionally, the chemical treatment chamber 211, thermal treatmentchamber 221, and thermal insulation assembly 230 define a common opening294 through which a substrate can be transferred. During processing, thecommon opening 294 can be sealed closed using a gate valve assembly 296in order to permit independent processing in the two chambers 211, 221.Furthermore, a transfer opening 298 can be formed in the thermaltreatment chamber 221 in order to permit substrate exchanges with atransfer system as illustrated in FIG. 1A. For example, a second thermalinsulation assembly 230′ can be implemented to thermally insulate thethermal treatment chamber 221 from a transfer system (not shown).Although the opening 298 is illustrated as part of the thermal treatmentchamber 221 (consistent with FIG. 1A), the transfer opening 298 can beformed in the chemical treatment chamber 211 and not the thermaltreatment chamber 221 (reverse chamber positions as shown in FIG. 1A),or the transfer opening 298 can be formed in both the chemical treatmentchamber 211 and the thermal treatment chamber 221 (as shown in FIGS. 1Band 1C).

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the chemical treatment system 210comprises a substrate holder 240, and a substrate holder assembly 244 inorder to provide several operational functions for thermally controllingand processing substrate 242. The substrate holder 240 and substrateholder assembly 244 can comprise an electrostatic clamping system (ormechanical clamping system) in order to electrically (or mechanically)clamp substrate 242 to the substrate holder 240. Furthermore, substrateholder 240 can, for example, further include a cooling system having are-circulating coolant flow that receives heat from substrate holder 240and transfers heat to a heat exchanger system (not shown), or whenheating, transfers heat from the heat exchanger system. Moreover, a heattransfer gas can, for example, be delivered to the back-side ofsubstrate 242 via a backside gas system to improve the gas-gap thermalconductance between substrate 242 and substrate holder 240. Forinstance, the heat transfer gas supplied to the back-side of substrate242 can comprise an inert gas such as helium, argon, xenon, krypton, aprocess gas, or other gas such as oxygen, nitrogen, or hydrogen. Such asystem can be utilized when temperature control of the substrate isrequired at elevated or reduced temperatures. For example, the backsidegas system can comprise a multi-zone gas distribution system such as atwo-zone (center-edge) system, wherein the back-side gas gap pressurecan be independently varied between the center and the edge of substrate242. In other embodiments, heating/cooling elements, such as resistiveheating elements, or thermo-electric heaters/coolers can be included inthe substrate holder 240, as well as the chamber wall of the chemicaltreatment chamber 211.

For example, FIG. 7 presents a temperature controlled substrate holder300 for performing several of the above-identified functions. Substrateholder 300 comprises a chamber mating component 310 coupled to a lowerwall of the chemical treatment chamber 211, an insulating component 312coupled to the chamber mating component 310, and a temperature controlcomponent 314 coupled to the insulating component 312. The chambermating and temperature control components 310, 314 can, for example, befabricated from an electrically and thermally conducting material suchas aluminum, stainless steel, nickel, etc. The insulating component 312can, for example, be fabricated from a thermally-resistant materialhaving a relatively lower thermal conductivity such as quartz, alumina,Teflon, etc.

The temperature control component 314 can comprise temperature controlelements such as cooling channels, heating channels, resistive heatingelements, or thermo-electric elements. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 7, the temperature control component 314 comprises a coolantchannel 320 having a coolant inlet 322 and a coolant outlet 324. Thecoolant channel 320 can, for example, be a spiral passage within thetemperature control component 314 that permits a flow rate of coolant,such as water, Fluorinert, Galden HT-135, etc., in order to provideconductive-convective cooling of the temperature control component 314.Alternately, the temperature control component 314 can comprise an arrayof thermo-electric elements capable of heating or cooling a substratedepending upon the direction of electrical current flow through therespective elements. An exemplary thermoelectric element is onecommercially available from Advanced Thermoelectric, ModelST-127-1.4-8.5M (a 40 mm by 40 mm by 3.4 mm thermoelectric devicecapable of a maximum heat transfer power of 72 W).

Additionally, the substrate holder 300 can further comprise anelectrostatic clamp (ESC) 328 comprising a ceramic layer 330, a clampingelectrode 332 embedded therein, and a high-voltage (HV) DC voltagesupply 334 coupled to the clamping electrode 332 using an electricalconnection 336. The ESC 328 can, for example, be mono-polar, orbi-polar. The design and implementation of such a clamp is well known tothose skilled in the art of electrostatic clamping systems.

Additionally, the substrate holder 300 can further comprise a back-sidegas supply system 340 for supplying a heat transfer gas, such as aninert gas including helium, argon, xenon, krypton, a process gas, orother gas including oxygen, nitrogen, or hydrogen, to the backside ofsubstrate 242 through at least one gas supply line 342, and at least oneof a plurality of orifices and channels. The backside gas supply system340 can, for example, be a multi-zone supply system such as a two-zone(center-edge) system, wherein the backside pressure can be variedradially from the center to edge.

The insulating component 312 can further comprise a thermal insulationgap 350 in order to provide additional thermal insulation between thetemperature control component 314 and the underlying mating component310. The thermal insulation gap 350 can be evacuated using a pumpingsystem (not shown) or a vacuum line as part of vacuum pumping system250, and/or coupled to a gas supply (not shown) in order to vary itsthermal conductivity. The gas supply can, for example, be the backsidegas supply 340 utilized to couple heat transfer gas to the back-side ofthe substrate 242.

The mating component 310 can further comprise a lift pin assembly 360capable of raising and lowering three or more lift pins 362 in order tovertically translate substrate 242 to and from an upper surface of thesubstrate holder 300 and a transfer plane in the processing system.

Each component 310, 312, and 314 further comprises fastening devices(such as bolts and tapped holes) in order to affix one component toanother, and to affix the substrate holder 300 to the chemical treatmentchamber 211. Furthermore, each component 310, 312, and 314 facilitatesthe passage of the above-described utilities to the respectivecomponent, and vacuum seals, such as elastomer O-rings, are utilizedwhere necessary to preserve the vacuum integrity of the processingsystem.

The temperature of the temperature-controlled substrate holder 240 canbe monitored using a temperature sensing device 344 such as athermocouple (e.g. a K-type thermocouple, Pt sensor, etc.). Furthermore,a controller can utilize the temperature measurement as feedback to thesubstrate holder assembly 244 in order to control the temperature ofsubstrate holder 240. For example, at least one of a fluid flow rate,fluid temperature, heat transfer gas type, heat transfer gas pressure,clamping force, resistive heater element current or voltage,thermoelectric device current or polarity, etc. can be adjusted in orderto affect a change in the temperature of substrate holder 240 and/or thetemperature of the substrate 242.

Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, chemical treatment system 210comprises a gas distribution system 260. In one embodiment, as shown inFIG. 8, a gas distribution system 400 comprises a showerhead gasinjection system having a gas distribution assembly 402, and a gasdistribution plate 404 coupled to the gas distribution assembly 402 andconfigured to form a gas distribution plenum 406. Although not shown,gas distribution plenum 406 can comprise one or more gas distributionbaffle plates. The gas distribution plate 404 further comprises one ormore gas distribution orifices 408 to distribute a process gas from thegas distribution plenum 406 to the process space within chemicaltreatment chamber 211. Additionally, one or more gas supply lines 410,410′, etc. can be coupled to the gas distribution plenum 406 through,for example, the gas distribution assembly in order to supply a processgas comprising one or more gases. The process gas can, for example,comprise NH₃, HF, H₂, O₂, CO, CO₂, Ar, He, etc.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B (expanded view ofFIG. 9A), a gas distribution system 420 for distributing a process gascomprising at least two gases comprises a gas distribution assembly 422having one or more components 424, 426, and 428, a first gasdistribution plate 430 coupled to the gas distribution assembly 422 andconfigured to couple a first gas to the process space of chemicaltreatment chamber 211, and a second gas distribution plate 432 coupledto the first gas distribution plate 430 and configured to couple asecond gas to the process space of chemical treatment chamber 211. Thefirst gas distribution plate 430, when coupled to the gas distributionassembly 422, forms a first gas distribution plenum 440. Additionally,the second gas distribution plate 432, when coupled to the first gasdistribution plate 430 forms a second gas distribution plenum 442.Although not shown, gas distribution plenums 440, 442 can comprise oneor more gas distribution baffle plates. The second gas distributionplate 432 further comprises a first array of one or more orifices 444coupled to and coincident with an array of one or more passages 446formed within the first gas distribution plate 430, and a second arrayof one or more orifices 448. The first array of one or more orifices444, in conjunction with the array of one or more passages 446, areconfigured to distribute the first gas from the first gas distributionplenum 440 to the process space of chemical treatment chamber 211. Thesecond array of one or more orifices 448 is configured to distribute thesecond gas from the second gas distribution plenum 442 to the processspace of chemical treatment chamber 211. The process gas can, forexample, comprise NH₃, HF, H₂, O₂, CO, CO₂, Ar, He, etc. As a result ofthis arrangement, the first gas and the second gas are independentlyintroduced to the process space without any interaction except in theprocess space.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the first gas can be coupled to the first gasdistribution plenum 440 through a first gas supply passage 450 formedwithin the gas distribution assembly 422. Additionally, as shown in FIG.10B, the second gas can be coupled to the second gas distribution plenum442 through a second gas supply passage 452 formed within the gasdistribution assembly 422.

Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 3, chemical treatment system 220 furthercomprises a temperature controlled chemical treatment chamber 211 thatis maintained at an elevated temperature. For example, a wall heatingelement 266 can be coupled to a wall temperature control unit 268, andthe wall heating element 266 can be configured to couple to the chemicaltreatment chamber 211. The heating element can, for example, comprise aresistive heater element such as a tungsten, nickel-chromium alloy,aluminum-iron alloy, aluminum nitride, etc., filament. Examples ofcommercially available materials to fabricate resistive heating elementsinclude Kanthal, Nikrothal, Akrothal, which are registered trademarknames for metal alloys produced by Kanthal Corporation of Bethel, Conn.The Kanthal family includes ferritic alloys (FeCrAl) and the Nikrothalfamily includes austenitic alloys (NiCr, NiCrFe). When an electricalcurrent flows through the filament, power is dissipated as heat, and,therefore, the wall temperature control unit 268 can, for example,comprise a controllable DC power supply. For example, wall heatingelement 266 can comprise at least one Firerod cartridge heatercommercially available from Watlow (1310 Kingsland Dr., Batavia, Ill.,60510). A cooling element can also be employed in chemical treatmentchamber 211. The temperature of the chemical treatment chamber 211 canbe monitored using a temperature-sensing device such as a thermocouple(e.g. a K-type thermocouple, Pt sensor, etc.). Furthermore, a controllercan utilize the temperature measurement as feedback to the walltemperature control unit 268 in order to control the temperature of thechemical treatment chamber 211.

Referring again to FIG. 3, chemical treatment system 210 can furthercomprise a temperature controlled gas distribution system 260 that canbe maintained at any selected temperature. For example, a gasdistribution heating element 267 can be coupled to a gas distributionsystem temperature control unit 269, and the gas distribution heatingelement 267 can be configured to couple to the gas distribution system260. The heating element can, for example, comprise a resistive heaterelement such as a tungsten, nickel-chromium alloy, aluminum-iron alloy,aluminum nitride, etc., filament. Examples of commercially availablematerials to fabricate resistive heating elements include Kanthal,Nikrothal, Akrothal, which are registered trademark names for metalalloys produced by Kanthal Corporation of Bethel, Conn. The Kanthalfamily includes ferritic alloys (FeCrAl) and the Nikrothal familyincludes austenitic alloys (NiCr, NiCrFe). When an electrical currentflows through the filament, power is dissipated as heat, and, therefore,the gas distribution system temperature control unit 269 can, forexample, comprise a controllable DC power supply. For example, gasdistribution heating element 267 can comprise a dual-zone siliconerubber heater (about 1.0 mm thick) capable of about 1400 W (or powerdensity of about 5 W/in²). The temperature of the gas distributionsystem 260 can be monitored using a temperature-sensing device such as athermocouple (e.g. a K-type thermocouple, Pt sensor, etc.). Furthermore,a controller can utilize the temperature measurement as feedback to thegas distribution system temperature control unit 269 in order to controlthe temperature of the gas distribution system 260. The gas distributionsystems of FIGS. 8-10B can also incorporate a temperature controlsystem. Alternatively, or in addition, cooling elements can be employedin any of the embodiments.

Referring still to FIGS. 2 and 3, vacuum pumping system 250 can comprisea vacuum pump 252 and a gate valve 254 for throttling the chamberpressure. Vacuum pump 252 can, for example, include a turbo-molecularvacuum pump (TMP) capable of a pumping speed up to about 5000 liters persecond (and greater). For example, the TMP can be a Seiko STP-A803vacuum pump, or an Ebara ET1301W vacuum pump. TMPs are useful for lowpressure processing, typically less than about 50 mTorr. For highpressure (i.e., greater than about 100 mTorr) or low throughputprocessing (i.e., no gas flow), a mechanical booster pump and dryroughing pump can be used.

Referring again to FIG. 3, chemical treatment system 210 can furthercomprise a controller 235 having a microprocessor, memory, and a digitalI/O port capable of generating control voltages sufficient tocommunicate and activate inputs to chemical treatment system 210 as wellas monitor outputs from chemical treatment system 210 such astemperature and pressure sensing devices. Moreover, controller 235 canbe coupled to and can exchange information with substrate holderassembly 244, gas distribution system 260, vacuum pumping system 250,gate valve assembly 296, wall temperature control unit 268, and gasdistribution system temperature control unit 269. For example, a programstored in the memory can be utilized to activate the inputs to theaforementioned components of chemical treatment system 210 according toa process recipe. One example of controller 235 is a DELL PRECISIONWORKSTATION 610™, available from Dell Corporation, Austin, Tex.

In one example, FIG. 4 presents a chemical treatment system 210′ furthercomprising a lid 212 with a handle 213, at least one clasp 214, and atleast one hinge 217, an optical viewport 215, and at least one pressuresensing device 216.

As described in FIGS. 2 and 5, the thermal treatment system 220 furthercomprises a temperature controlled substrate holder 270. The substrateholder 270 comprises a pedestal 272 thermally insulated from the thermaltreatment chamber 221 using a thermal barrier 274. For example, thesubstrate holder 270 can be fabricated from aluminum, stainless steel,or nickel, and the thermal barrier 274 can be fabricated from a thermalinsulator such as Teflon, alumina, or quartz. The substrate holder 270further comprises a heating element 276 embedded therein and a substrateholder temperature control unit 278 coupled thereto. The heating element276 can, for example, comprise a resistive heater element such as atungsten, nickel-chromium alloy, aluminum-iron alloy, aluminum nitride,etc., filament. Examples of commercially available materials tofabricate resistive heating elements include Kanthal, Nikrothal, andAkrothal, which are registered trademark names for metal alloys producedby Kanthal Corporation of Bethel, Conn. The Kanthal family includesferritic alloys (FeCrAl) and the Nikrothal family includes austeniticalloys (NiCr, NiCrFe). When an electrical current flows through thefilament, power is dissipated as heat, and, therefore, the substrateholder temperature control unit 278 can, for example, comprise acontrollable DC power supply. Alternately, the temperature controlledsubstrate holder 270 can, for example, be a cast-in heater commerciallyavailable from Watlow (1310 Kingsland Dr., Batavia, Ill., 60510) capableof a maximum operating temperature of 400 to 450 C, or a film heatercomprising aluminum nitride materials that is also commerciallyavailable from Watlow and capable of operating temperatures as high asabout 300 C and power densities of up to about 23.25 W/cm².Alternatively, a cooling element can be incorporated in substrate holder270.

The temperature of the substrate holder 270 can be monitored using atemperature-sensing device such as a thermocouple (e.g. a K-typethermocouple). Furthermore, a controller can utilize the temperaturemeasurement as feedback to the substrate holder temperature control unit278 in order to control the temperature of the substrate holder 270.

Additionally, the substrate temperature can be monitored using atemperature-sensing device such as an optical fiber thermometercommercially available from Advanced Energies, Inc. (1625 Sharp PointDrive, Fort Collins, Colo., 80525), Model No. OR2000F capable ofmeasurements from about 50 to 2000 C and an accuracy of about plus orminus 1.5 C, or a band-edge temperature measurement system as describedin pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/168544, filed on Jul. 2,2002, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

Referring again to FIG. 5, thermal treatment system 220 furthercomprises a temperature controlled thermal treatment chamber 221 that ismaintained at a selected temperature. For example, a thermal wallheating element 283 can be coupled to a thermal wall temperature controlunit 281, and the thermal wall heating element 283 can be configured tocouple to the thermal treatment chamber 221. The heating element can,for example, comprise a resistive heater element such as a tungsten,nickel-chromium alloy, aluminum-iron alloy, aluminum nitride, etc.,filament. Examples of commercially available materials to fabricateresistive heating elements include Kanthal, Nikrothal, Akrothal, whichare registered trademark names for metal alloys produced by KanthalCorporation of Bethel, Conn. The Kanthal family includes ferritic alloys(FeCrAl) and the Nikrothal family includes austenitic alloys (NiCr,NiCrFe). When an electrical current flows through the filament, power isdissipated as heat, and, therefore, the thermal wall temperature controlunit 281 can, for example, comprise a controllable DC power supply. Forexample, thermal wall heating element 283 can comprise at least oneFirerod cartridge heater commercially available from Watlow (1310Kingsland Dr., Batavia, Ill., 60510). Alternatively, or in addition,cooling elements may be employed in thermal treatment chamber 221. Thetemperature of the thermal treatment chamber 221 can be monitored usinga temperature-sensing device such as a thermocouple (e.g. a K-typethermocouple, Pt sensor, etc.). Furthermore, a controller can utilizethe temperature measurement as feedback to the thermal wall temperaturecontrol unit 281 in order to control the temperature of the thermaltreatment chamber 221.

Referring still to FIGS. 2 and 5, thermal treatment system 220 furthercomprises an upper assembly 284. The upper assembly 284 can, forexample, comprise a gas injection system for introducing a purge gas,process gas, or cleaning gas to the thermal treatment chamber 221.Alternately, thermal treatment chamber 221 can comprise a gas injectionsystem separate from the upper assembly. For example, a purge gas,process gas, or cleaning gas can be introduced to the thermal treatmentchamber 221 through a side-wall thereof. It can further comprise a coveror lid having at least one hinge, a handle, and a clasp for latching thelid in a closed position. In an alternate embodiment, the upper assembly284 can comprise a radiant heater such as an array of tungsten halogenlamps for heating substrate 242″ resting atop blade 500 (see FIG. 11) ofsubstrate lifter assembly 290. In this case, the substrate holder 270could be excluded from the thermal treatment chamber 221.

Referring again to FIG. 5, thermal treatment system 220 can furthercomprise a temperature controlled upper assembly 284 that can bemaintained at a selected temperature. For example, an upper assembly 284can be coupled to an upper assembly temperature control unit 286, andthe upper assembly heating element 285 can be configured to couple tothe upper assembly 284. The heating element can, for example, comprise aresistive heater element such as a tungsten, nickel-chromium alloy,aluminum-iron alloy, aluminum nitride, etc., filament. Examples ofcommercially available materials to fabricate resistive heating elementsinclude Kanthal, Nikrothal, Akrothal, which are registered trademarknames for metal alloys produced by Kanthal Corporation of Bethel, Conn.The Kanthal family includes ferritic alloys (FeCrAl) and the Nikrothalfamily includes austenitic alloys (NiCr, NiCrFe). When an electricalcurrent flows through the filament, power is dissipated as heat, and,therefore, the upper assembly temperature control unit 286 can, forexample, comprise a controllable DC power supply. For example, upperassembly heating element 267 can comprise a dual-zone silicone rubberheater (about 1.0 mm thick) capable of about 1400 W (or power density ofabout 5 W/in²). The temperature of the upper assembly 284 can bemonitored using a temperature-sensing device such as a thermocouple(e.g. a K-type thermocouple, Pt sensor, etc.). Furthermore, a controllercan utilize the temperature measurement as feedback to the upperassembly temperature control unit 286 in order to control thetemperature of the upper assembly 284. Upper assembly 284 mayadditionally or alternatively include a cooling element.

Referring again to FIGS. 2 and 5, thermal treatment system 220 furthercomprises a substrate lifter assembly 290. The substrate lifter assembly290 is configured to lower a substrate 242′ to an upper surface of thesubstrate holder 270, as well as raise a substrate 242″ from an uppersurface of the substrate holder 270 to a holding plane, or a transferplane therebetween. At the transfer plane, substrate 242″ can beexchanged with a transfer system utilized to transfer substrates intoand out of the chemical and thermal treatment chambers 211, 221. At theholding plane, substrate 242″ can be cooled while another substrate isexchanged between the transfer system and the chemical and thermaltreatment chambers 211, 221. As shown in FIG. 11, the substrate lifterassembly 290 comprises a blade 500 having three or more tabs 510, aflange 520 for coupling the substrate lifter assembly 290 to the thermaltreatment chamber 221, and a drive system 530 for permitting verticaltranslation of the blade 500 within the thermal treatment chamber 221.The tabs 510 are configured to grasp substrate 242″ in a raisedposition, and to recess within receiving cavities 540 formed within thesubstrate holder 270 (see FIG. 5) when in a lowered position. The drivesystem 530 can, for example, be a pneumatic drive system designed tomeet various specifications including cylinder stroke length, cylinderstroke speed, position accuracy, non-rotation accuracy, etc., the designof which is known to those skilled in the art of pneumatic drive systemdesign.

Referring still to FIGS. 2 and 5, thermal treatment system 220 furthercomprises a vacuum pumping system 280. Vacuum pumping system 280 can,for example, comprise a vacuum pump, and a throttle valve such as a gatevalve or butterfly valve. The vacuum pump can, for example, include aturbo-molecular vacuum pump (TMP) capable of a pumping speed up to about5000 liters per second (and greater). TMPs are useful for low pressureprocessing, typically less than about 50 mTorr. For high pressureprocessing (i.e., greater than about 100 mTorr), a mechanical boosterpump and dry roughing pump can be used.

Referring again to FIG. 5, thermal treatment system 220 can furthercomprise a controller 275 having a microprocessor, memory, and a digitalI/O port capable of generating control voltages sufficient tocommunicate and activate inputs to thermal treatment system 220 as wellas monitor outputs from thermal treatment system 220. Moreover,controller 275 can be coupled to and can exchange information withsubstrate holder temperature control unit 278, upper assemblytemperature control unit 286, upper assembly 284, thermal walltemperature control unit 281, vacuum pumping system 280, and substratelifter assembly 290. For example, a program stored in the memory can beutilized to activate the inputs to the aforementioned components ofthermal treatment system 220 according to a process recipe. One exampleof controller 275 is a DELL PRECISION WORKSTATION 610™, available fromDell Corporation, Austin, Tex.

In an alternate embodiment, controllers 235 and 275 can be the samecontroller.

In one example, FIG. 6 presents a thermal treatment system 220′ furthercomprising a lid 222 with a handle 223 and at least one hinge 224, anoptical viewport 225, and at least one pressure sensing device 226.Additionally, the thermal treatment system 220′ further comprises asubstrate detection system 227 in order to identify whether a substrateis located in the holding plane. The substrate detection system can, forexample, comprise a Keyence digital laser sensor.

FIGS. 12, 13, and 14 depict a side view, a top view, and a sidecross-sectional view, respectively, of thermal insulation assembly 230.A similar assembly can also be used as thermal insulation assembly 50,150 or 650. The thermal insulation assembly 230 can comprise aninterface plate 231 coupled to, for example, the chemical treatmentchamber 211, as shown in FIG. 12, and configured to form a structuralcontact between the thermal treatment chamber 221 (see FIG. 14) and thechemical treatment chamber 211, and an insulator plate 232 coupled tothe interface plate 231 and configured to reduce the thermal contactbetween the thermal treatment chamber 221 and the chemical treatmentchamber 211. Furthermore, in FIG. 12, the interface plate 231 comprisesone or more structural contact members 233 having a mating surface 234configured to couple with a mating surface on the thermal treatmentchamber 221. The interface plate 231 can be fabricated from a metal,such as aluminum, stainless steel, etc. in order to form a rigid contactbetween the two chambers 211, 221. The insulator plate 232 can befabricated from a material having a low thermal conductivity such asTeflon, alumina, quartz, etc. A thermal insulation assembly is describedin greater detail in pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/705,397, filedon even date herewith and entitled, “Method and apparatus for thermallyinsulating adjacent temperature controlled chambers”, and it isincorporated by reference in its entirety.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 14, gate valve assembly 297 is utilized tovertically translate a gate valve 297 in order to open and close thecommon opening 294. The gate valve assembly 296 can further comprise agate valve adaptor plate 239 that provides a vacuum seal with theinterface plate 231 and provides a seal with the gate valve 297.

The two chambers 211, 221 can be coupled to one another using one ormore alignment devices 235 and terminating in one or more alignmentreceptors 235′, as in FIG. 6, and one or more fastening devices 236(i.e. bolts) extending through a flange 237 on the first chamber (e.g.chemical treatment chamber 211) and terminating within one or morereceiving devices 236′, as in FIG. 6, (i.e. tapped hole) in the secondchamber (e.g. thermal treatment chamber 221). As shown in FIG. 14, avacuum seal can be formed between the insulator plate 232, the interfaceplate 231, the gate adaptor plate 239, and the chemical treatmentchamber 211 using, for example, elastomer O-ring seals 238, and a vacuumseal can be formed between the interface plate 232 and the thermaltreatment chamber 221 via O-ring seal 238.

Furthermore, one or more surfaces of the components comprising thechemical treatment chamber 211 and the thermal treatment chamber 221 canbe coated with a protective barrier. The protective barrier can compriseat least one of Kapton, Teflon, surface anodization, ceramic spraycoating such as alumina, yttria, etc., plasma electrolytic oxidation,etc.

FIG. 15 presents a method of operating the processing system 200comprising chemical treatment system 210 and thermal treatment system220. The method is illustrated as a flowchart 800 beginning with step810 wherein a substrate is transferred to the chemical treatment system210 using the substrate transfer system. The substrate is received bylift pins that are housed within the substrate holder, and the substrateis lowered to the substrate holder. Thereafter, the substrate is securedto the substrate holder using a clamping system, such as anelectrostatic clamping system, and a heat transfer gas is supplied tothe backside of the substrate.

In step 820, one or more chemical processing parameters for chemicaltreatment of the substrate are set. For example, the one or morechemical processing parameters comprise at least one of a chemicaltreatment processing pressure, a chemical treatment wall temperature, achemical treatment substrate holder temperature, a chemical treatmentsubstrate temperature, a chemical treatment gas distribution systemtemperature, and a chemical treatment gas flow rate. For example, one ormore of the following may occur: 1) a controller coupled to a walltemperature control unit and a first temperature-sensing device isutilized to set a chemical treatment chamber temperature for thechemical treatment chamber; 2) a controller coupled to a gasdistribution system temperature control unit and a secondtemperature-sensing device is utilized to set a chemical treatment gasdistribution system temperature for the chemical treatment chamber; 3) acontroller coupled to at least one temperature control element and athird temperature-sensing device is utilized to set a chemical treatmentsubstrate holder temperature; 4) a controller coupled to at least one ofa temperature control element, a backside gas supply system, and aclamping system, and a fourth temperature sensing device in thesubstrate holder is utilized to set a chemical treatment substratetemperature; 5) a controller coupled to at least one of a vacuum pumpingsystem, and a gas distribution system, and a pressure-sensing device isutilized to set a processing pressure within the chemical treatmentchamber; and/or 6) the mass flow rates of the one or more process gasesare set by a controller coupled to the one or more mass flow controllerswithin the gas distribution system.

In step 830, the substrate is chemically treated under the conditionsset forth in step 820 for a first period of time. The first period oftime can range from about 10 to about 480 seconds, for example.

In step 840, the substrate is transferred from the chemical treatmentchamber to the thermal treatment chamber. During which time, thesubstrate clamp is removed, and the flow of heat transfer gas to thebackside of the substrate is terminated. The substrate is verticallylifted from the substrate holder to the transfer plane using the liftpin assembly housed within the substrate holder. The transfer systemreceives the substrate from the lift pins and positions the substratewithin the thermal treatment system. Therein, the substrate lifterassembly receives the substrate from the transfer system, and lowers thesubstrate to the substrate holder.

In step 850, thermal processing parameters for thermal treatment of thesubstrate are set. For example, the one or more thermal processingparameters comprise at least one of a thermal treatment walltemperature, a thermal treatment upper assembly temperature, a thermaltreatment substrate temperature, a thermal treatment substrate holdertemperature, a thermal treatment substrate temperature, and a thermaltreatment processing pressure. For example, one or more of the followingmay occur: 1) a controller coupled to a thermal wall temperature controlunit and a first temperature-sensing device in the thermal treatmentchamber is utilized to set a thermal treatment wall temperature; 2) acontroller coupled to an upper assembly temperature control unit and asecond temperature-sensing device in the upper assembly is utilized toset a thermal treatment upper assembly temperature; 3) a controllercoupled to a substrate holder temperature control unit and a thirdtemperature-sensing device in the heated substrate holder is utilized toset a thermal treatment substrate holder temperature; 4) a controllercoupled to a substrate holder temperature control unit and a fourthtemperature-sensing device in the heated substrate holder and coupled tothe substrate is utilized to set a thermal treatment substratetemperature; and/or 5) a controller coupled to a vacuum pumping system,a gas distribution system, and a pressure sensing device is utilized toset a thermal treatment processing pressure within the thermal treatmentchamber.

In step 860, the substrate is thermally treated under the conditions setforth in step 850 for a second period of time. The second period of timecan range from about 10 to about 480 seconds, for example.

In an example, the processing system 200, as depicted in FIG. 2, can bea chemical oxide removal system for trimming an oxide hard mask. Theprocessing system 200 comprises chemical treatment system 210 forchemically treating exposed surface layers, such as oxide surfacelayers, on a substrate, whereby adsorption of the process chemistry onthe exposed surfaces affects chemical alteration of the surface layers.Additionally, the processing system 200 comprises thermal treatmentsystem 220 for thermally treating the substrate, whereby the substratetemperature is elevated in order to desorb (or evaporate) the chemicallyaltered exposed surface layers on the substrate.

In the chemical treatment system 210, the process space 262 (see FIG. 2)is evacuated, and a process gas comprising HF and NH₃ is introduced.Alternately, the process gas can further comprise a carrier gas. Thecarrier gas can, for example, comprise an inert gas such as argon,xenon, helium, etc. The processing pressure can range from about 1 toabout 100 mTorr. Alternatively, the pressure can range from about 2 toabout 25 mTorr. The process gas flow rates can range from about 1 toabout 200 sccm for each specie> alternatively, the flow rates can rangefrom about 10 to about 100 sccm. Although the vacuum pumping system 250is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 to access the chemical treatment chamber 211from the side, a uniform (three-dimensional) pressure field can beachieved. Table 1 illustrates the dependence of the pressure uniformityat the substrate surface as a function of processing pressure and thespacing between the gas distribution system 260 and the upper surface ofsubstrate 242.

TABLE I (%) h (spacing) Pressure 50 mm 62 75 100 200 20 mTorr 0.6 NA NANA NA  9 NA NA 0.75 0.42 NA  7 3.1 1.6 1.2  NA NA  4 5.9 2.8 NA NA NA  3NA 3.5 3.1  1.7  0.33

Additionally, the chemical treatment chamber 211 can be heated to atemperature ranging from about 10° to about 200° C. Alternatively, thechamber temperature can range from about 35° to about 55° C.Additionally, the gas distribution system can be heated to a temperatureranging from about 10° to about 200° C. Alternatively, the gasdistribution system temperature can range from about 40° to about 60° C.The substrate can be maintained at a temperature ranging from about 10°to about 50° C. Alternatively, the substrate temperature can range fromabout 25° to about 30° C.

In the thermal treatment system 220, the thermal treatment chamber 221can be heated to a temperature ranging from about 20° to about 200° C.Alternatively, the chamber temperature can range from about 75° to about100° C. Additionally, the upper assembly can be heated to a temperatureranging from about 20° to about 200° C. Alternatively, the upperassembly temperature can range from about 75° to about 100° C. Thesubstrate can be heated to a temperature in excess of about 100° C., forexample, ranging from about 100° to about 200° C. Alternatively, thesubstrate temperature can range from about 100° to about 150° C.

The chemical treatment and thermal treatment described herein canproduce an etch amount of an exposed oxide surface layer in excess ofabout 10 nm per 60 seconds of chemical treatment for thermal oxide, anetch amount of the exposed oxide surface layer in excess of about 25 nmper 180 seconds of chemical treatment for thermal oxide, and an etchamount of the exposed oxide surface layer in excess of about 10 nm per180 seconds of chemical treatment for ozone TEOS. The treatments canalso produce an etch variation across said substrate of less than about2.5%.

Although only certain embodiments of this invention have been describedin detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate thatmany modifications are possible in the embodiments without materiallydeparting from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention.Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included withinthe scope of this invention.

1. A processing system for chemically treating a substrate comprising: atemperature controlled chemical treatment chamber; a temperaturecontrolled substrate holder mounted within said chemical treatmentchamber and configured to be substantially thermally isolated from saidchemical treatment chamber; a vacuum pumping system coupled to saidchemical treatment chamber; and a gas distribution system coupled tosaid chemical treatment chamber and configured to introduce one or moreprocess gases to said chemical treatment chamber in order to chemicallyalter exposed surface layers on said substrate, wherein said gasdistribution system comprises a temperature controlled portion exposedto said one or more process gases in said chemical treatment chamber,wherein said gas distribution system comprises at least one gasdistribution plate, said gas distribution plate comprises one or moregas injection orifices.
 2. The processing system as recited in claim 1further comprising a controller coupled to at least one of saidtemperature controlled chemical treatment chamber, said temperaturecontrolled substrate holder, said vacuum pumping system, and said gasdistribution system, and configured to perform at least one of setting,monitoring, and adjusting at least one of a chemical treatment chambertemperature, a chemical treatment substrate holder temperature, achemical treatment substrate temperature, a chemical treatment gasdistribution system temperature, a chemical treatment processingpressure for said vacuum pumping system, and a chemical treatment massflow rate of said process gas for said gas distribution system.
 3. Theprocessing system as recited in claim 2, wherein said controller isconfigured to set said gas distribution system temperature at atemperature greater than said chemical treatment chamber temperature. 4.The processing system as recited in claim 1, wherein said chemicaltreatment system is coupled to another processing system.
 5. Theprocessing system as recited in claim 1, wherein said chemical treatmentsystem is coupled to at least one of a thermal treatment system and asubstrate rinsing system.
 6. The processing system as recited in claim1, wherein said chemical treatment system is coupled to a transfersystem.
 7. The processing system as recited in claim 1, wherein saidtemperature controlled substrate holder comprises at least one of anelectrostatic clamping system, a back-side gas supply system, and one ormore temperature control elements.
 8. The processing system as recitedin claim 7, wherein said one or more temperature control elementscomprise at least one of a cooling channel, a heating channel, aresistive heating element, a radiant lamp, and a thermo-electric device.9. The processing system as recited in claim 1, wherein said temperaturecontrolled chemical treatment chamber comprises at least one of acooling channel, a heating channel, a resistive heating element, aradiant lamp, and a thermo-electric device.
 10. The processing system asrecited in claim 1, wherein said gas distribution system comprises atleast one gas distribution plenum.
 11. The processing system as recitedin claim 1, wherein said one or more process gases comprise at least oneof HF and NH₃.
 12. The processing system as recited in claim 1, whereinsaid one or more process gases comprise a first gas and a second gasdifferent from said first gas.
 13. The processing system as recited inclaim 12, wherein said gas distribution system comprises a first gasdistribution plenum and a first gas distribution plate having a firstarray of one or more orifices and a second array of one or more orificesfor coupling said first gas to said process space through said firstarray of one or more orifices in said first gas distribution plate, anda second gas distribution plenum and a second gas distribution platehaving passages therein for coupling said second gas to said processspace through said passages in said second gas distribution plate andsaid second array of one or more orifices in said first gas distributionplate.
 14. The processing system as recited in claim 12, wherein saidfirst gas is HF and said second gas is NH₃.
 15. The processing system ofclaim 1, wherein said gas distribution system performs at least one ofpartial mixing and full mixing of said first gas and said second gasprior to introducing said first and second gases to said process space.16. The processing system as recited in claim 1, wherein said first gasand said second gas are independently introduced to said process spacewithout any interaction except in said process space.
 17. A method ofoperating a processing system to chemically treat a substratecomprising: transferring said substrate into a chemical treatment systemcomprising a temperature controlled chemical treatment chamber, atemperature controlled substrate holder mounted within said chemicaltreatment chamber and configured to be substantially thermally insulatedfrom said chemical treatment chamber, a vacuum pumping system coupled tosaid chemical treatment chamber, a gas distribution system configured tointroduce one or more process gases into said chemical treatment chamberand having a temperature controlled portion exposed to said one or moreprocess gases in said chemical treatment chamber, and a controllercoupled to said chemical treatment system; setting chemical processingparameters for said chemical treatment system using said controller,wherein said chemical processing parameters comprise a chemicaltreatment processing pressure, a chemical treatment chamber temperature,a chemical treatment substrate temperature, a chemical treatmentsubstrate holder temperature, and a chemical treatment gas flow rate;and processing said substrate in said chemical treatment system usingsaid chemical processing parameters in order to chemically alter exposedsurface layers on said substrate, wherein said gas distribution systemcomprises at least one gas distribution plate, said gas distributionplate comprises one or more gas injection orifices.
 18. The method asrecited in claim 17, wherein said one or more process gases comprise afirst gas having HF and a second gas having NH₃.
 19. The method asrecited in claim 17, wherein said temperature controlled substrateholder comprises at least one of an electrostatic clamping system, aback-side gas supply system, and one or more temperature controlelements.
 20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein said one ormore temperature control elements comprise at least one of a coolingchannel, a heating channel, a resistive heating element, a radiant lamp,and a thermo-electric device.
 21. The method as recited in claim 17,wherein said temperature controlled chemical treatment chamber comprisesat least one of a cooling channel, a heating channel, a resistiveheating element, a radiant lamp, and a thermo-electric device.
 22. Themethod as recited in claim 17, wherein said gas distribution systemcomprises at least one gas distribution plenum.
 23. The method asrecited in claim 17, wherein said gas distribution system comprises afirst gas distribution plenum and a first gas distribution plate havinga first array of one or more orifices and a second array of one or moreorifices for coupling said first gas to said process space through saidfirst array of one or more orifices in said first gas distributionplate, and a second gas distribution plenum and a second gasdistribution plate having passages therein for coupling said second gasto said process space through said passages in said second gasdistribution plate and said second array of one or more orifices in saidfirst gas distribution plate.
 24. The method as recited in claim 17,wherein said gas distribution system performs at least one of partialmixing and full mixing of said first gas and said second gas prior tointroducing said first and second gases to said process space.
 25. Themethod as recited in claim 17, wherein said first gas and said secondgas are independently introduced to said process space without anyinteraction except in said process space.
 26. The method as recited inclaim 17, wherein said setting said chemical treatment chambertemperature includes heating said chemical treatment chamber using awall temperature control unit and monitoring said chemical treatmentchamber temperature.
 27. The method as recited in claim 26, wherein saidchemical treatment chamber temperature ranges from about 10° about 200°C.
 28. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein said setting saidchemical treatment substrate holder temperature includes adjusting atleast one of said one or more temperature control elements andmonitoring said chemical treatment substrate holder temperature.
 29. Themethod as recited in claim 28, wherein said chemical treatment substrateholder temperature ranges from about 10° C. to about 50° C.
 30. Themethod as recited in claim 17, wherein said setting said chemicaltreatment substrate temperature includes adjusting at least one of saidone or more temperature control elements, said backside gas supplysystem, and said clamping system, and monitoring said chemical treatmentsubstrate temperature.
 31. The method as recited in claim 30, whereinsaid chemical treatment substrate temperature ranges from about 10° C.to about 50° C.
 32. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein saidsetting said chemical treatment processing pressure includes adjustingat least one of said vacuum processing system and said gas distributionsystem, and monitoring said chemical treatment processing pressure. 33.The method as recited in claim 32, wherein said chemical treatmentprocessing pressure ranges from about 1 to about 100 mTorr.
 34. Themethod as recited in claim 17, wherein said one or more chemicalprocessing parameters further comprises a chemical treatment gasdistribution system temperature.
 35. The method as recited in claim 34,wherein said setting said chemical treatment gas distribution systemtemperature includes heating said gas distribution system using a gasdistribution system temperature control unit and monitoring saidchemical treatment gas distribution system temperature.
 36. The methodas recited in claim 35, wherein said chemical treatment gas distributionsystem temperature ranges from about 10° to about 200° C.